Patients undergoing cardiac surgery frequently develop neurologic complications, ranging from subtle cognitive changes to evident confusion, delirium, and stroke. This continuum of complications is commonly caused by embolization in the brain due to manipulation of atherosclerotic parts of the aorta ascendens (AA) during surgery. Timely detection of AA atherosclerosis before surgery enables the surgeon to consider changes of the surgical plan, to reduce the risk of embolization and thus subsequent neurologic complications.